The Oklahoma House sent House Bill 3240 to the Senate with a more than two-thirds vote. This bill would give public school students a designated time for voluntary prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts. The bill ensures parents must consent to their child’s participation, and that religious observances cannot be conducted in the presence or hearing of non-consenting students.
This thoughtfully designed, constitutional bill is sorely needed.
Governor Stitt signed Senate Bill 1778 into law Tuesday morning at John Rex Charter Elementary. I’m sure you’ve seen the photos and videos of the governor surrounded by the cutest group of young Oklahomans, flanked by the legislative leaders who spent two sessions earning this moment — studying the research, producing interim studies, asking the right questions, and in some cases pursuing their own advanced degrees to understand what Oklahoma’s literacy crisis actually requires. Now the real work begins, and it belongs to the two statewide leaders Governor Stitt has appointed to carry it: Secretary of Education Dan Hamlin and State Superintendent Lindel Fields.
The bill is the most substantive rewrite of Oklahoma’s early literacy statute in a generation, and necessarily so. Nearly three in four Oklahoma third graders are not reading proficiently (NCES, 2024). The statute needed to match the scale of that problem.
With student proficiency at a horrific 14.7%, down 21% since 2018, it is clear that a radically different approach is needed to turn TPS around. A massive 73% increase in non-instructional costs and 21% drop in student proficiency at TPS since 2018 can lead to only one conclusion. Vote NO on this bond package. Demand accountability and a new bold vision.
First, stop the bleeding and save the patient. Then follow the best student-focused science available to rehab TPS into a world-class educational system. It will be a long difficult process, but our children believe their future is worth the effort. Do we?
Financial literacy can help people weather the difficulties of economy and be prepared for temporary economic downturns and periods of great growth.
But what are we doing to help future generations build prosperity? Not enough, it would seem from a recent report by WalletHub. For example, we ended 2025 with nearly $1.39 trillion in total credit card debt, and nearly 2 in 5 Americans say they will have more credit card debt by the end of 2026. Of states, Oklahoma appears at the bottom of the states list, the forty-ninth least financially literate.
Monday, March 30, Second Lady Usha Vance announced the launch of her podcast: “Storytime with the Second Lady.” The first episode featured the Second Lady reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. Later podcast episodes will feature special guest readers including celebrities, children’s authors, athletes, veterans, musicians, and more. The first show is embedded in this story.
